An Australia Shepherd found three Terrier puppies in a plastic bag in a park, saving their lives.

Dog Sniffs Out Abandoned Pups

A couple was out for a walk with their
Australian Shepherd at a San Francisco area park Monday when their dog took an interest in a plastic garbage bag near a trash can. The couple, identified as Carl and Renee, opened the bag and discovered three 5-week-old Terrier puppies inside. The Good Samaritans brought the pups home to wash and feed them before taking them to
Contra Costa County Animal Services. “We are both saddened at the inhumanity and grateful at the compassion shown,”
read a post on the county’s animal services Facebook page. Authorities are asking anyone with information on the owners of the puppies to contact them. The puppies are being evaluated and may be fostered before being put up for adoption. — Read it at
SFGate.com

Dog Survives 210 Days in Australian Outback

Connor, a 5-year-old
English Springer Spaniel, was reunited with his family in Australia over the weekend — 7 months after he disappeared in the outback. Sally Thomson said the
dog quietly slipped out of the car in June when the family pulled over on their way to their hobby farm. The family searched towns all over the region and spent nights camping near where Connor went missing, hoping to find him. Although the
dog would have had to find food and water, avoid lethal snakes and survive through extreme hot and cold weather, the family never gave up hope. Finally, a farmer spotted the dog on Saturday and used a Facebook page for missing Perth pets to reunite him with the Thomsons. "I burst into tears. We were just elated," Sally Thomson said. "He recognized us without a doubt." — Read it at
The Western Australian

Ocean’s Biggest Fish Gets International Protection

Whale sharks, which can weigh up to 40,000 pounds and be 40 feet long, got a new protection that reduces the risk that they could be caught in fishing nets. Whale sharks are so large that tuna like to congregate around them. Because of this, some fishermen deploy nets around the whale sharks to catch the tuna swimming under it. This led to many deaths and injuries for the docile animals. The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission prohibited placing the nets around whale sharks in 2013, and while U.S. fishing vessels don’t use this practice,
NOAA Fisheries has issued regulations prohibiting the practice as well. — Read it at
Science Daily

India Tiger Count Climbs 30 Percent

There’s good news for endangered tigers in India: a new government census finds a big rebound in their numbers over the last four years. Using information from 10,000 camera traps, the
2014 census found at least 2,226 tigers in the country’s forests, up from just 1,706 in 2010. “It is incredible, wonderful,” said Yadvendradev Jhala, a tiger expert at the
Wildlife Institute of India who supervised the report. Environment minister Prakash Javadekar said the report showed the success of India’s
conservation efforts. The country has been working to prevent tiger poaching for 10 years, with a special tiger protection force and programs for orphaned cubs. — Read it at
The New York Times

Cat Freed From Pipe in 8-Hour Rescue

Fire crews and local businesses spent a full day working on a high-tech rescue of a cat stuck in a water pipe Tuesday in Miami. Officials dropped cameras down to view the
cat, and tried several methods to attempt to save him. Eventually, they were able to use a cord to pull him to safety. "If he hasn't used up eight and a half of his nine lives I will be shocked," said Lt. Linda Wood, with
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's venom unit. Miami Fire Captain Nicholas Wohl had high praise for the cat’s rescuers. "[They are] incredible individuals. [They] just worked feverishly, nonstop. One gentleman laid on his back for approximately six hours without a break,” Wohl said. The
cat was rushed to a local animal clinic, and he’s doing fine. — Read it Florida’s
Local 10